Grapple



Jan. 5,1926. I [1,568,716

(5. E. QOULTON I I i GRAPPLE i Filed June 12. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1IIINVENTOR.

BY y i'zoaltm ATTORNEY.

Jan. 5 1926. I G. E. BQULTQN v I GRAPPLE 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Filed June 12,1924 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

GEORGE E. BQULTQN, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

GRAEPLE.

Application filed June 12, 1924. Serial No. 719,488.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. BOULTON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and Improved Grapple, of which thefollowing is a specification.

i This invention relates to wreck salvaging apparatus, and a particularobject of the invention is to provide an improved and efficient grapplefor the salvagingof wrecked vessels of a character enabling a device tobe seized onto the hull of a sunken vessel or similar object-which it isdesired to raise at a distance below the surfaceof the water, and thefeatures of the invention are involved in the construction of a grappleadapting it to be used with sunken wrecks or other objects of varioussizes, the device being adjustable betweencertain limits, and

means being provided to bring the grapple irons in contact with the sideof the vessel to electrically holdrthe gripping device in contact withthe vessel while fastening pins or prongs 'are driven into the hull ofthe vessel and in the means for holding the I showing the magnets forholding these mem-c bars in contact with the side of a yessel. Fig. 4:is aisection taken on line 4-4 of grappling arms in substantiallyparallel relation irrespective of the distance to which they maybespread apart. These objects and the various novel features ofconstruction of an apparatus embodying myiinvention is shown in theaccompanying drawings in wh1ch-- v Fig. 1 is an elevation of a grapplingvice embodying my invention ingits preferred form.

Fig. 2 is a detail'ipartly in section of means em loyedto adjust the.grappling arms for 0 jectsof various sizes.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the grapple member Fig.3. I r

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the motor for counteracting the force ofcurrent.

It is'to be understood that this device is of a character to be loweredfrom the vessel at the surface to contact with the sunken vessci orother object to be raised.

The particular purpose of this invention is to' provide a device thatcan be lowered -to depths'beyond that at which divers 0rdiusually usedwith a Windlass on, a vessel or other structure from which the cable isto be manipulated as will be readily understood. This cable is attachedto a block 2 having arms 3' and 4 pivoted thereto, which arms extend atan angle one to the other. At the lower end of each of these arms 3 and4 are arms 5 and 6 pivoted at 7 and 8 to the arms 3 and- 4 respectively;These arms 5' and 6 at their respective lower ends carry the magnets anddriving pins which are hereinafter more specifically described andtermed the grapple member indicated generally at 10. Pivoted to each arm5 and 6 respectively is a bar 11 and 12 which extends from below thepivot point 8 on the respective arms 5 and 6 to above the pivot point onthe arms 3 and 4 at which point is provided a roller 13 and .11 for therespective bars 11 and 12 riding in slots in the said bars. To thesebars 11 and 12 is connected the means for spreading or bringing toavessel or other" object. This s reading or closing of the arms isprovided y a hollow member 15 plvotally connected at 16 to the barll andon the member 15 is mounted an electric motor 17 shown in Figs. 1 and 2.A screw threaded member 18 is pivotally attached to the bar 12andextends into the hollow member 1:5 through a rotatable nut 19 held atthe end of the hollow member 15 by a split collar 20 secured to themember 15 and having an inturned flange 21 engaging over anoutturnedflange 22 on the nut.

Preferably any common type of thrust hear ing, indicated at 23, may beutilized on each side of the flange of the member 21 to relieve -thesame of undue friction. ()n the nut is provided a gear 24 which mesheswith a gear 25 on the shaft 26 of the motor 17.

It is to be understood that l[ have here shown merely a spur gearconnection but this may be any type of gearing and may be what is termedback geared to secure the necessary power if so desired. This motor andgearing is preferably housed within a metal shell 27 in a manner toprotect the same from water. By operation of the mo tor the nut 19 isrotated and, due to its connection with the member 15, the screw 18 isthreaded in or out depending upon the direction of rotation of the nut.It is to be understood that the motor should be of the reversibletypewhereby the nut may be retated in either direction with equalfacility. This movement of the screw in or out of the member 15 drawsthe grapple arms toward each other or spread the same apart as will bereadily understood and, due to the connection of the members 15 and 18with the bars 11 and 12, the grapple arms 5 and 6 are maintained insubstantially parallel relation irrespective of the relative distanceapart of the two arms. Thus, when the device is to be lowered to engagea vessel of known beam, the arms are spread a greater distance apart andan attempt is made by the operator to drop the rapple arms over the hullof the vessel for instance or other object and the motor is thenoperated to draw the arms together to grip the same and as the grippingdevices are placed bringing the wreck up with it.

The gripping devices are illustrated in Figs. 3 and a and consist of abook 28 which extends across the face of each beam 5 or 6 and rearwardlythereof on opposite sides providing plates 29 and 30 which may be bolteddirectly to the beam as will be understood from Fig. 4. The blocks 28are recessed to receive the magnet coils 31 211M132,

the cores of which extend from the inner surface to the blocks 28 on thearms 5 and 6 facing each other. Provision is made for driving pins 33,of which there are several in each block on opposite sides of the member5 or '6 as the case may be. normally are practically in the positionshown in Fig. 2 when the device is lowered and when the operator in themanipulation of the device brings it into contact with an object,current is supplied to the electromagnet by a circuit (not here shown),which causes the magnets to adhere to'the sheathing of the vessel. Themagnets, however, are not of themselves of sufficient strength to liftthe vessel, therefore I provide driving pins 33 which may be driven intothe hull of the vessel so that a forcible engagement of the grapple withthe vessel is secured. Subsequent to the grapple devices being broughtinto contact with the vessel and electric current is supplied to theelectromagnets, the pins are driven. For this purpose I provide on therear of each arm guide members 3%- formed by a rectangular shaped metalstrap near the top and the bottom of the grapple member as will beunderstood from Fig. 1. The pins normally project from the rear of thearm 5 or 6 as shown and are 'vessel and are not efficient in use.

These pins weaves engaged by a wedge 35 to the lower end of which isattached a weight 36 and to the upper end of which is attached a cord orcable 37 extending along the grapple arms to the surface where theoperator, after positioning the grapple devices on the vessel, releasesthe cable allowing the wedges to drop, which operation is repeated for anumber of times. The contact of the face of the wedge with the rear edgeof the driving pins with the drop of the weight causes the pins to bedriven into the hull of the vessel and thus the grapple devices aresecurely fixed in the hull and the motor having drawn the grapple deviceinto forcible contact with the vessel through operation of the screw andnut thereon, the vessel may be readily raised by the cable 1, withoutpossibility of the grapples becoming released. I am aware of hookdevices having been used as grapples to be lowered on opposite sides ofvessels but such devices merely catch under the sheathing and strip thesame from the body of the By the actual driving of the pins into thehull for a distance such defect is overcome. As previously stateda'number of pins may be used and preferably I use a series of pins 33 onopposite sides of each grapple arm 5 or 6 which necessitates the use oftwo weights 35 and 35 as will be understood from Fig. 4;. A. singleweight may be used for each pair of wedges. i

It is oftentimes necessary to lower the grapple in a more or lessrapidly flowing current of water which would tend to deflect the samefrom the object to which the grapple is to be fastened. To obviate suchresult I provide on the lower end of each beam 5 and 6 a motor devicehaving propeller blades as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. These motors aremounted directly on the beam by means of the bars 50 and 51 bymeans ofthe bolts 52 which pass through the ends of the bars and the rearwardlyextending part of the casting 28 as will be understood from Fig. 1.These motors are preferably of the reversible type and are mounted in acasing to prevent their being damaged by water and are operated from acircuit (not shown) extending directly to the surface from which thegrapple is operated. In the event the grapple is being swung out ofposition by current encountered in the lowering thereof, these motorsand propellers are rotated in one direction or the other tocounteractthe current flow and maintain the grapple in substantiallyvertical position. The motor propellers are indicated by the number 53and the motor at at with its enclosing case 55.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A grapplefor salvaging wrecked vessels and other objects in deep water consistingof a pair of arms, a block to which the arms are pivoted at an angle oneto the other and a second pair of arms pivotally connected with thelower-end of the first 'pair'and extending in substantially parallelrelation one with the other, said second pair of arms being' fprovided-.with electro-magnets, a series o object to be raised, means for drivingthe, pins operable from the surface, and means pins adapted to be driveninto the for drawingitlie arms together mto engagement with the ob'ectwhile driving the pins. 2. A grapple or salvaging wrecked vessels andother objects below the surface of 'the'water comprising a block, apairof de-'- pendingarms extending at an angle one to the other pivoted-tothe block, 'a second pair of arms pivotally supported to the lower endof the, first pair. of arms,' power-o erated means for spreading thearms or the same together, a gra lower end :of each; of sal' secondpair'of arms, and power-operated means at the grapple end of each of thesaidsecond'pairrawing le device at the ofarms for moving the grapple'inthe water.

, 3. .A gra pie for salvaging wrecked ves sels and ot er objects. belowthe surface-of in pairs, a bar pivoted to one of one pair of arms andhaving a slot, means on the other of the pair riding n the said slot,poweroperate air of arms for engaging the object to be sa va d, and aseries of pins carried at each en adapted to object to'beraised;

4; In. a grapple for salva 'ng wrecked vessels and the like, the comination with arms and means for spreadin or drawing the water,comprising arms pivoted together 4 means extending between thes'aid,bars of 'thetwo pairs of arms by which the 1 said airs may be s readapart or drawn. tofget fir, a grapple eviceat the lower end 35 ,0 eac bedriven into the the arms together, of a grapp e member at the ends ofthe arms consistinof an electro-magnet by means of which t e said plesare sustained when in contact witfi t l 'ze object, pins for eachgrapple device adapted to be driven into the ob'ect to be raised, andpower-operated means or holding the gra pledevice forcibly in contactwith the ob- In testimony whereof Isign this specifica tio'n. 1 w IGEORGE E. BOUL-TONI

